She oozes sex appeal, and the lovely Irina Shayk was selected as the cover girl for the December 2011 issue of ELLE Spain.

The Russian supermodel wasn't shy about showing off her figure as she stripped down for a Esteban Santiago shot spread in which she was covered with more than 3,500 Swarovski red crystals which were applied to her skin by a team of three MAC makeup artists.

Of the ambitious effort, Irina told that "the shoot was difficult because I had to be lying on a table very hard and had lots of crystals pinching the skin. But I felt very sexy. I thought it was some place, not a bathing suit but pure body art."

In the issue, Miss Shayk also spoke about ascending the ranks of the modeling world, telling, "I do not depend on a man. I have success, money and an education. I did not become a top model overnight. I moved to Paris without money and had to do 'castings' without being able to speak English. I had nothing to wear and saw other girls by buying clothes for the tests, when I had no food."

Check out the behind-the-scenes videos and photos below and be sure to visit ELLE Spain for more on December cover girl Irina Shayk!








Photo Credit: Esteban Santiago for ELLE Spain